Kellie Miller's work has received international recognition and her designs are continually evolving. She tells Antonia Edwards about the inspiration and techniques behind her beautiful ceramics and paintings...
The DesignerKellie studied 3D Design in the early nineties. Having set up Biscuit Studio in Hove she went on to become a founding member of Hove Arts, a group of artists formed in 1999 to participate in the Brighton and Hove Festival Umbrella programme. She is now an established artist with works held in collections around the world including Taiwan and Japan as well as the UK. With the experienced gained Kellie also advises other artists and craftspeople on business skills and how to market their work. Currently she is in the process of developing her own range of handmade and manufactured home ware under the 'Kellie Miller Home' brand.Kellie Miller describes herself as a "creative free spirit" as her work covers a range of artistic practices, using a variety of media. Her influences include Pablo Picasso, Vassily Kandinsky and William Morris to name a few, who she admires for their ability to move freely from one art form to another.Her distinctive ceramic vessels include bottles, tableware and a vast collection of porcelain thrown or hand cast 'Couture Cups', some of which incorporate crystals and precious metals. But the three-dimensional side of Kellie's work also play a role in her paintings, as some of her mix media pieces include ceramic inserts made of hand cast porcelain. Kellie is experimental in her approach and her art unites her passion for ceramics and painting into unique composite pieces. She says her creations often arise from a conversation or words from a novel and much of her work combines landscape and cityscape, "aerial views depict my love of contradictions; complexity and simplicity, traditional and modern, country and city life". Both her ceramics and paintings involve complex processes and over the years Kellie has developed 150 unique glazes. Paintings are made of oil paint on gesso, a material made of clay, glue and water heated together. This was traditionally used in medieval and renaissance art to prepare panels for painting on. She applies ten to fifteen layers of gesso to a surface to build up the required depth and every five layers are carefully sanded back. Various tools are then used to carve into the surface to create texture which is then painted with oils. Kellie Miller will be exhibiting her paintings and bowls at the Naked Eye Gallery in Hove during this year's Brighton Festival from 3rd - 31st May. For more information see www.kelliemillerceramics.co.uk or call 01273 720625.
